


That Old Wedding Saying

by LaterDays



Series: The Miraculous Adulting of Marinette and Adrien [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Family Feels, Gen, I have so much fun writing Gabe, Pre-wedding fluff, The ZiriDays Miraculous Dumpster, alya is the best, like I could just get in his head and study it from every angle, posting when I should be sleeping oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-06-25 07:55:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15636480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaterDays/pseuds/LaterDays
Summary: “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”.The old saying had a way of popping into Marinette’s head at the worst times. Usually when she couldn’t write down what came to mind immediately after to fit one of the descriptions.Perhaps with a little help and a touch of luck she can determine what pieces she wants to incorporate.





	That Old Wedding Saying

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first side story for mine and Ziri's series! This short piece is one of my babies, and she was kind enough to look it over, point out my half-finished thoughts, and make a couple corrections and suggestions. I've been super eager to post this and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it. Feel free to leave constructive criticism in the comments, there's still plenty of time for me to check for any similar issues in my next piece and make corrections.
> 
> But without further ado, go forth!

_“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue”._ The old saying had a way of popping into Marinette’s head at the worst times. Usually when she couldn’t write down what came to mind immediately after to fit one of the descriptions.

===

Something blue was easy. The first time Alya asked if she’d thought of what she’d have to fit each item, she immediately pulled out the blue lucky charm Adrien had made for her birthday years ago.

“And the other three?” she had prodded. 

“I’ve got plenty of time, let me worry about them,” Marinette replied casually.

The raised eyebrow in reply said everything Alya was thinking, but she shrugged.

“Alright, you and your lover boy have been working on this wedding thing for a year now. Let me know if you need help with something borrowed or new.”

Best friends rocked.

===

Her mother had been more than happy to suggest something old a week later. Sabine gave her a hair comb that had been handed down for several generations as the oldest daughter (or the first daughter-in-law for those with only sons) got married. Its wood had been painted ladybug red, and gold paint accented the edges as well as some characters Sabine translated to wish eternal luck and happiness on the wearer. It would match the dress she was designing for the reception perfectly. With instructions to keep it and pass it down to her future kids, she couldn’t consider it borrowed. Two seconds later, Marinette pouted and muttered something about letting them get married and settled first.

===

Best friends _sucked_.

Best friends named Alya Cesaire were the worst monsters to ever climb out of a dumpster when they suggested a “something new” with _that_ gleam in their eyes. 

“Alya, before you even start, I’ve told you like five times. I’m not wearing that remote-controlled vibe to my own wedding. I’m saving that for after the reception.”

“Girl, I wasn’t going to try and mention that this time. I get it, you want to save it for your honeymoon so you can blow his sweet summer child brain with your toy box.”

“Alya, you know he’s not as innocent as you’re painting him, right?”

“Yeah, but he’s still got that innocent puppy look sometimes. --But that’s not the point! I thought of your something new!”

“Alya, what...”

“Don’t worry, I got your proper sizes with a little help from your groom-to-be letting me in, but he has _no_ idea what’s going to hit him.”

Her devilish grin spread as Marinette gave the lingerie set her best friend was presenting a sharper, appraising eye. It was super sexy, yet simple. She could wear it to the reception, but the bright red and black designs would risk appearing as dark shadows through her wedding dress. Unless she tested the pieces for comfort under her dress ahead of time. Hm…

“You’re evil, and the absolute best friend I could ever hope for.”

Alya dragged her into a bear hug before handing the set over. Eleven months left and one item to go.

===

T minus nine months and three weeks until their wedding day and Marinette was feeling the crunch. The dresses were mostly done, the venue for an outdoor wedding and reception were booked, Adrien had assured her things were fine in his to-do list, caterers were planned, a DJ Nino highly recommended was hired, they had each ordered each others wedding bands. But she still didn’t have something borrowed. Nothing felt right, no matter what had been offered or suggested.

One Friday night, she bolted awake at 3am, struck with sudden inspiration. 

“YERMAMN!” she shouted in a sleepy slur.

Adrien half-shrieked as he flailed and fell out of bed, rudely awoken by his fiance’s declaration. Marinette blinked as the haze of sleep slowly faded, and slowly crawled over the bed to stare down at him.

“Sorry…” At least she had the grace to look sheepish as she reached out a hand to help him up. “I just had a really great idea.”

He took it and climbed back into bed with her, tugging her back down for late night cuddles.

“And what was this great idea, love?” he asked softly. “It certainly seemed explosive.”

He was lucky it was late and that he sealed his questionable pun with a kiss to her forehead. The cogs in her head were slowing down again so she could rest once more, so her swat became a light tap against his chest as she snuggled in closer.

“It needs work, but I need to talk with your dad. No more questions, dea-ar.” She broke off with a drawn out yawn and let her eyes close once more. “I want it to be a surprise.”

It didn’t take long for them to fall asleep in each others’ arms.

===

Despite calling at 7am sharp, Nathalie could only schedule in a short meeting for Marinette with her future father-in-law at his mansion a few days in advance. While it gave her time to think of how to present her idea, she still found impatience burning in her heart. And each time she soothed it temporarily by reminding herself she still had time.

Finally, the day came. She arrived a couple minutes early, and Nathalie promptly escorted her to Gabriel’s office. Marinette took notice of how little everything had changed, except for how much emptier the already austere building felt. Maybe-

Her thought cut off as Nathalie knocked and stepped aside to let her in. Marinette murmured her thanks with a soft smile and approached the world-renowned designer who was studying some designs for a future line. His eyes flicked up as she approached and he flicked them aside with two fingers gliding over the touchscreen. Had she been years younger and not spent more than a few minutes around him, she’d have been a nervous wreck, intimidated to hell and back. But now? Now she wore Ladybug-brand confidence on her sleeve and knew that while most would think his grey eyes were uninterested, they had softened slightly with affection. An affection she’d seen him display toward Adrien more and more in recent years. And unless she was mistaken, he also looked mildly curious. Perhaps trying to see if he could figure out why she requested this meeting in the first place, but as he decided to display manners, he extended her basic pleasantries before jumping to what he assumed she might be here about.

“Marinette, how are you? How have your dresses been coming along?”

“I’m fine, thank you. I’ve been making excellent progress and should be finishing a little earlier than I originally thought. How are you, Gabriel?”

The slightest twitch of his eyebrow betrayed him. He probably had thought she was looking for some kind of design or sewing technique tip. Oh, he knew she was more than capable to complete her ambitious project, though she knew even the most talented needed to ask for help on occasion. But that wasn’t the case today.

“I am well, thank you. Now, tell me, why is it that you felt the need to schedule an appointment to talk with me? Surely you could have simply sent an email.”

The words sounded dismissive and cool, but she would not be deterred, not when she could pick up faint traces of curiosity. Not in the face of what would probably be a tougher mission than a final facedown with Papillon. It would all depend on how she presented her idea. 

“I could have, but I wanted to make sure this stayed a surprise. I’ve been thinking of what to do for something borrowed, and then I realized, what better way to do that than to find a way to honor Adrien’s mom - your wife - and have something of hers at the ceremony. I’m not looking to keep anything of hers, I’d return it safely to you before we leave the reception or the day after the wedding. The only problem is, I never really knew her. So, that’s where you come in. I know you can help me pull this off.”

As she laid out her case, Gabriel could see the passion and iron will she possessed, her honest desire to do this for his son. To honor his beloved wife. He laced his fingers and leaned forward to rest his chin on them as he thought. She said the right things and sold him on the idea, but the real question he debated was, what would he let her borrow?

Her former Miraculous was out of the question for multiple reasons, the most pressing being Le Paon. It also wouldn’t match the reds and golds she had planned for her reception dress. Too many rings would look tacky instead of adding extra sparkle. A necklace? No, that wouldn’t do. But what about… yes, it would do wonderfully.

Just when Marinette was about to offer to give him time to think, Gabriel rose gracefully from his chair.

“I know what she would want you to wear, and Adrien will know it when he sees it. Emelie had a bracelet she commissioned after he was born. It has each of our birthstones set into white gold. I will have it delivered to you two weeks before the wedding. I… it’s very special to me, you see. But you may return it after the wedding. I trust you to take exceptional care off it, Marinette.”

Marinette’s face lit up as she beamed at him. She knew there was a softer side hidden deep in his heart! Alya owed her fifty Euros.

“Thank you! Thank you so much! I’ll take extra exceptional care of it, I promise!”

Gabriel on the other hand froze for a brief second. Something Adrien said coming back unbidden to the front of his mind. _She’s got a smile like mom’s that just warms you to the core, Father. This is the girl I’m going to marry someday._ Instead, he stepped around his desk and offered her a hug. Perhaps a little stilted, but she was going to be family soon.

Marinette returned his hug, planted a peck on either of his cheeks, then darted out as Nathalie knocked to signal his next meeting. He chanced a quick glance to the giant portrait behind him and allowed himself the tiniest and briefest of fond smiles, tinged with nostalgia.

_You’d like her, Emilie. You’ll meet her someday, I promise._

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to thank you quick for reading! Kudos and comments are great, and constructive criticism feeds my soul. Stay tuned for the next update for Take Wing, Coccinelle!, and if you're not following the series, I highly encourage it!


End file.
